It’s another occasion to go pottering about among some similar-looking Spanish words, unearthing how they are typically used and cracking apart the differences between them and some other terms. Our main subjects today are cerámica and cerámico.
You can listen to how they are pronounced below:
cerámica:
cerámico:
La cerámica (feminine noun) is the art or craft of making crockery and other clay, china and porcelain objects that are hardened through firing in a kiln – ceramics, or when referring specifically to the craft of the potter, pottery:
Durante cuatro años estudió cerámica en Valencia.
He studied ceramics in Valencia for four years.
una gama de actividades a las que pueden asistir los jubilados, desde clases de cerámica hasta recitales de poesía
a range of activities that retirees can attend, from pottery classes to poetry recitals
La cerámica is the fired and hardened material itself – ceramics, ceramic or pottery.
El uso de cerámica o vidrio es común en baños, por su facilidad de limpieza.
Ceramics or glass are commonly used in bathrooms because they are easy to clean.
El gres es una cerámica dura, vitrificada a alta temperatura.
Stoneware is a tough type of ceramic, vitrified at a high temperature.
una colección de baldosas de cerámica vidriada
a collection of glazed ceramic floor tiles
jarras y jarrones de cerámica
pottery orceramic jugs and vases
While la cerámica is a collective term for things made of ceramics, cerámicas can also be used in the plural to refer to such items:
Usaba técnicas tradicionales para hacer y hornear cerámica.
He used traditional techniques to make and fire ceramics orpottery.
Diseñó cerámica de alta calidad, como servicios de café y té, cuencos y platos.
She designed high-quality ceramics or chinaware, such as tea and coffee services, bowls and plates.
Se mudó a Inglaterra, donde continuó produciendo cerámicas y pinturas.
He moved to England, where he continued producing ceramics orpottery items and paintings.
Cerámico (together with its inflected forms cerámica, cerámicos and cerámicas) is an adjective describing anything made of or relating to ceramics or pottery:
Envió varios objetos cerámicos a la feria de muestras.
He sent several ceramic objects to the trade fair.
En el museo se conservan dos vasijas cerámicas datadas en la Edad del Bronce.
At the museum there are two ceramic orpottery vessels dating from the Bronze Age.
DID YOU KNOW?
Some terms of the trade
Un alfarero (masculine) and una alfarera (feminine) are individuals who make pots and other objects from clay (potters), while alfarería is the craft itself or a place where such items are made or sold (pottery):
Sus vasijas destacaban por su belleza, y fue reconocida como una alfarera eminente y talentosa.
Her pots stood out for their beauty, and she was recognized as an eminent and talented potter.
Se dedicó a la alfarería.
She devoted herself to pottery.
Se mudó a Norfolk, donde construyó un horno e instaló una alfarería que fabricaba ollas de gres funcionales.
He moved to Norfolk, where he built a kiln and set up a pottery making functional stoneware pots.
Arcilla is a general word for a substance that consists of hydrated aluminium silicate, quartz and organic fragments and occurs as sedimentary rocks, soils and other deposits – clay. Mixed with water, it can be moulded into pots and other objects and fired. Arcilla de alfarero and arcilla figulina are potter’s clay.
Existen canteras donde se extrae arcilla de ladrillo y caolín.
There are quarries where brick clay and kaolin are extracted.
En sus tiempos libres, se dedicó a tallar la madera y moldear la arcilla.
In his free time he devoted himself to carving wood and moulding clay.
Solía fumar una pipa de arcilla.
He used to smoke a clay pipe.
While barro often means that mix of earth and water that makes paths slippery in or after rain (mud), it also refers to a natural mouldable substance which can be hardened through firing and used in rustic or traditional pottery: clay. In the context of fired pots, it is often called earthenware in English and may be glazed, partially glazed or unglazed.
El artista la modeló primero en barro.
The artist first sculpted her in clay.
La fortaleza fue construida con ladrillos de barro rectangulares.
The fortress was built out of rectangular clay bricks.
También dedican su tiempo a fabricar ollas de barro.
They also spend their time making earthenware orclay pots.
We cannot leave our exploration of ceramics without mentioning gres, loza and porcelana. So what are they? Gres (masculine) is a type of clay that is fired at high temperatures and results in durable pieces – stoneware (clay). Loza (feminine) is a fired, glazed pottery and the crockery made from it – earthenware. Porcelana (feminine) is a higher-quality ceramic (often translucent) and the objects made from it – porcelain, china.
La porcelana y el gres se cuecen a temperaturas más altas.
Porcelain and stoneware are fired at higher temperatures.
un plato de gres azul y blanco con motivo floral
a blue and white stoneware plate with a floral pattern
jarrones de loza
earthenware vases
una muñeca porcelana
a porcelain doll
El museo incluye pinturas, muebles, porcelana y joyas.
The museum includes paintings, furniture, porcelain and jewels.
To chip away at the different meanings and usage of some more Spanish words, come back next week.
